"They called you directly—so that's not like you did anything." "We better get the credit for that!" "Man, can you believe it? They bypassed us and just called our client."
These scenarios are ridiculous at best, but they happen all too often in PR. They are about claiming "the hit" as opposed to working together to stay razor-thin-focused on the strategy of a client (or boss). After experiencing the above for years, I now stand firm that this is wrong. The next person who asks me whether or not it's "our hit" … will simply get hit.
No longer debatable, this tug of war is over with no clear winner. Nowadays, when the self-important blogger, big-time media, local daily paper, or eager President of the United States actually gets what you are trying to say—no matter how she got the news—it means you win. No more tactics over strategy. PR is about everyone working together to make it work. Contests are out, like Spears and Lohan.
This seems obvious? Liar. You, like me, are still trying to hide who did what from your payee.
That's what this op-ed is about, even with 12 lines of preamble. I am asking for a new way to work that says everyone (me too) will play from the same rule book for the first time, starting on the page titled, "How the hell are we going to get this thing to work!"
I want to experience the calendar date when a CNN producer calls an agency because they heard something somewhere and everyone rejoices. This is not happening. All I get is, "We have to say that person was on our pitch list," as if that matters.
If that's what matters, then we're mere order takers. Pushily put, I want my people and yours to practice in a PR community where all we do well is create compelling messages that even with the slightest push gets folks hopping excited … even, nay especially, the other media who see it out there.
Simply put: Stop shouting from the rooftops about who did what; just get excited by the mutual work. Remember that media begets media--it's that simple.
Then there's offline versus online credit—the nonsense about who got any given blogger to report about some new press release. I hear it said that the release running on a website triggered a Google Alert or RSS-seeker and thus the "hit." That's poppycock.
Then, reviving a 70s reference, what's all this fuss about bloggers handing our stories to the major media? Such logic baffles me—more AP and Christian Science Monitor stories are quoted on blogs than any "dead tree" columnist would take time to read.
Finally, a gripe that needs no introduction: "IR" versus "PR." When did investor vs. media become the norm? Neither thinks the other does anything that valuable, so when an IR rep gets media to act, the PR dudes say "Gee, wait a minute! That's our contact." Doesn't that read funny? Come on people now, everybody get together ... try to love.
The client who cares only about tactical hits—or upper manager breathing down your neck for another inch-thick clip book—needs to be slapped down. Show him the value of COMMUNICATING the fiercest ever message to all constituencies, with all the support that is muster-able. During this period of shrinking media and rising tempers, let's get a little Rodney King and work for the same goal—exposure that moves needles.
Pushily put, simply put... just WELL put. Collaboration is good but the mutual understanding between the practitioner and internal/extrenal clients is better.
ReplyDeleteMedia relations is a changing practice and we all need to make sure our clients understand that ROI is not measured in column-inches. We must train our clients to have the same audience focus we must have as we approach our planning and tactics.
As "the media guy" for a regional medical center in Maryland, my department continually gets approached by various members of our administration holding our latest front page health victory. What comes next is: "Have you seen this great coverage?"
ReplyDeleteUm, yes, who might you think pitched that story? They pay us yet have not a clue about what we do.
So we've adopted the "stop shouting from the rooftops" strategy. We now celebrate media victories in our PR department meetings, with those who understand how hard a job it is, and the reward that comes with doing it well. We celebrate our success and feel fortunate we keep getting paid despite the fact no one in our administration seems to be aware of our job duties.
Really good post, time someone said it.
ReplyDeleteBtw, I've never claimed a "hit" - nor would I use the term -- when having no idea how X journalist or publication got the story. I just use it as a personal lesson, assuming that because "media begets media" we may have had some small part in it; but, also setting a goal of making sure we're out in front on it next time and can actually be the directly responsible party. It's kind of like in English class -- nicer to be a very clear direct object than a slightly fuzzy indirect object in a sentence.
But, I do wonder, even if PR practitioners become adult about this and agree to play from the "we're all responsible and should all share in the satisfaction" playbook, will the payee see it that way? There are always people in the internal corporate turf wars who are covetous of the budget or the influence that the Corp Comms folks have and there's always someone to insinuate that the external agency isn't doing their job. Evidence of a big story in which the agency didn't have a direct role could be more than embarassing if the payee isn't playing by that same idealistic playbook. It could be rather costly, too!
This article really confused me. It was just... odd.
ReplyDeleteAs a small agency that must constantly justify itself to our clients, we sure as hell better stand up for ourselves and take credit for a hit.
Who is this article written to convince? We ain't GolinHarris pimping Orange Juice.
We have to be our own cheerleader. We've worked hard and deserve to be on our client's payroll... They should know exactly what we did, when, and why. They deserve to know, and it is our professional responsibility to claim a hit.
No one else is going do it for us.
This is not about cheerleading. I get everyone wants to shout from the rooftop, but it starts with education and at this point we have to tell folks that the many blog posts that run something did not happen by accident.
ReplyDeleteThe last person who posted talked about the difference between what she does as a small practitioners and the big guys. But there is no diff any longer when it comes to "the large picture." When a reporter calls it's not by accident - and our job, as I said in the original post, is to ensure that everyone on the paying side knows what we do. At all times.
And what does that mean? We should all say it together: "Don't assume they know the process." It's unfathomable that a story appears on a TV station and the PR person for the "product" doesn't explain how that got to them: not taking credit, but explaining how a small piece in the local paper in YOUR market was picked up by the station's, and they ran with it.
The person who wrote above forgets that the educated consumer is the best one - and if you just say "We did it, nya nya" all the time, your clients are going to be rolling their eyes a whole hell of a lot.
Lets start making sure everyone's working together and work to ensure that business models are consistently portrayed in the news - and then everyone will be a group of happy campers.